University Forum 2017-8

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All University Forums are at 6:30 p.m. and are free and open to the public.

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September 5, 2017

James McBride

National Book Award Winner

The Good Lord Bird: A Talk and Musical Performance Exploring Faith & American Slavery

Bennett Auditorium

James McBride is an award-winning author, songwriter, and screenwriter. His memoir,
The Color of Water, spent two years on TheNew York Times bestseller list and his novel, The Good Lord Bird, was the 2013 recipient of the National Book Award. His musical compositions have
earned him the American Music Festival's Stephen Sondheim Award and the American Arts
and Letters Richard Rodgers Award. When he was presented with the 2015 National Humanities
Medal by President Barack Obama, he was applauded for “humanizing the complexities
of discussing race in America” and for “his moving stories of love” that “display
the character of the American family.” One of America’s most distinguished writers
and musicians, James McBride will bring his Good Lord Bird Band to Southern Miss to
present a special night featuring material from the novel and music inspired by the
life of John Brown.

Forum Schedule

Septempber 5 in Bennett Auditorium

James McBride and the Good Lord Bird Band

National Book Award-winning author of the Good Lord Bird, James McBride will speak about faith and American slavery when he visits the University
Forum. And, the accomplished composer, will perform music inspired by the life of
John Brown with his jazz band.

October 24 in Bennett Auditorium

Dan-el Padilla Peralta

Author of Undocumented, Dan-el Padilla Peralta rose from poverty as an undocumented immigranted from the
Dominican Republic to become a classics professor at Princeton. He will share his
story with the University Forum.

November 14 in Thad Cochran Ballrooms

Yuval Levin

Yuval Levin, the founding editor of National Affairs and a leading conservative intellectual, will speak about the failures of both the
left and right to craft a message for our time.

February 20 in Bennett Auditorium

John Asher Johnson

The Harvard astronomer, John Asher Johnson, leads a program that introduces black
and Latino students to science. He will speak about racial progress in the sciences.

March 6 in Bennett Auditorium

Angie Thomas

Mississippi writer and author of The Hate U Give is bringing the themes of the Black Lives Matter movement to young adult literature.
She will speak about the challenges of activism.

April 10 in Bennett Auditorium

Nicholas Kristof

The New York Times columnist and Pulitzer Prizer winner will speak about sex trafficking, genocide,
and other challenges faced by the global community in the 21st century.

And the Armstrong-Branch Lecture on February 27 in Bennett will feature the author of The Butler and Showdown Wil Haygood! To learn more about this year's University Forum and Armstrong-Branch
Lecture, visit Southern Miss Now.